


I Can Hear the Whispers of Your Impending Death

by spatialsoloist



Category: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), Rush (2013)
Genre: Bloodrush, M/M, Mild Fluff, SOMEBODY SAW THE CHANCE AND TOOK IT, THAT NAME IS GENIUS OKAY, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-24
Updated: 2013-08-24
Packaged: 2017-12-24 11:45:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/939629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spatialsoloist/pseuds/spatialsoloist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam can hear James' heartbeat speed up as the racer thinks about the tracks.</p><p>It terrifies him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Can Hear the Whispers of Your Impending Death

**Author's Note:**

> So Ric made a really nice piece of art and Sam planted the seeds of the storyline in my brain, and now everything hurts and my emotions are everywhere.
> 
> Vampires and race car drives is exactly what we've come to since then.
> 
> (I'm sorry if James and Adam aren't what you imagined them to be; I haven't seen Rush or Only Lovers Left Alive. Its a guessing game.)

Some people like to use the phrase "I can hear the gears whirring inside your brain".

Adam can relate to that, though perhaps on a slightly different level. He may not be able to hear the figurative gears humans talk about, but what he he _can_ hear is the sound of James' blood rushing through the driver's veins whenever he thinks about the race tracks, so in a way, yes, Adam can hear a James' thoughts. At least, whenever the man is thinking of his profession.

Adam absolutely _hates_ it.

* * *

The hospital bed squeaks and creaks dangerously as they rut furiously against each other, mouths joined sloppily as hands roam and tongues slip smoothly against one another. James moans weakly as Adam breaks the kiss and trails lower; the racer's large hands trail over Adam's stick-thin torso sluggishly. It was probably the pain meds James took before the hospital staff called lights-out. Adam, like the cat he was, had snuck in through the window just as the blonde was drifting off to sleep and woke him up with several well placed kisses. The vampire hadn't lived for so many years without picking up a few tricks along the way.

"Adam," James mumbles, trying not to flex his injured hand so much, yet still desperately attempting to grasp the other man's loose shirt. Adam slides lower still, eyebrows slightly furrowed in concentration, and nearly rips James' shirt open in his haste.

The skin underneath the generic blue gown was pale, smooth, and unmarked, but with another tug the terrible blotted bruises are suddenly revealed by the lonely light of the lamp on the nightstand.

Adam glares at James' chest, and then up at the racer. The blonde gives him a weak and tired smile, lifting his hands placatingly.

"I'm sorry?" he offers, and Adam actually growls a little, barely showing a flash of sharp fangs. James' smile falters.

"Adam-" he tries again, but the vampire hisses a furious, " _Shut up_ ," before surging up and sinking his teeth into the skin on James' chest, hands sliding up to grasp at the racer's throat- tight, but not tight enough to choke. The racer makes a noise, but whether it was pain or surprise or pleasure, Adam didn't bother to think about. His teeth break skin and blood wells up at once, and the dark-haired man presses his warm tongue flat against the wound. He tastes iron, sweetness, and the powerful texture of pure adrenaline.

In his mind's eye, Adam sees James curled up on the ratty old sofa in his apartment, a pillow tucked under his chin as he watches the day's race car tournament on the ancient television set with undivided attention. His pupils are slightly blown- the widened black circle is evident in the man's beautiful blue-grey eyes. Adam stands silently in the doorway, knowing that James is too wrapped up in the race to notice anything less than the apocalypse at the moment.

The racer's blood is pounding through his veins, fuelled by the force of adrenaline, and Adam can hear it like a set of drums that were being wildly beaten by his ears.

It's the same adrenaline he can taste now, laced into James' blood, and Adam pulls back sharply, a thin trail of saliva hanging between his lips and the blonde's chest. To his horror, he realized belatedly that there are tears in his eyes.

"Adam?" James whispers, raising his hands slowly, as if worried he might startle the immortal creature. "You alright?"

Adam snorted and let his hands fall to James' wide shoulders. He refused to look up when he was like this: teary, emotional, and completely drained.

"Adam?" James asks again, clearly worried, and all the vampire could think was _how dare he?_

"How dare you?"

"I'm sorry?" James stammered.

"Does it ever cross your mind that all this reckless business with racing and speed just might cost you your life one day?" Adam demanded, keeping his gaze on the blonde's collar bones. "Does it ever occur to you that sometimes winning isn't everything? That you can't celebrate first place when you're dead?!"

There was a tense silence that followed the outburst, broken only by the soft breath of wind that blew in through the open window, and the rustle of cheap curtains.

James's hands had carefully found a spot on either side of Adam's waist and were gentle with their hold, as thought the racer was afraid he'd snap the vampire's body.

"I'm sorry," the blonde said.

"Well that doesn't cut it, does it?" Adam snapped, gritting his teeth. "It's not like you're going to be able to say that to me after you die, and like hell am I going to watch you throw yourself into an early grave because you make a living by pressing your foot on a damned accelerator!"

"I won't," James said at once, and Adam snorted at the nearly naive certainty in the man's voice.

"Don't laugh!"

The force behind the words were almost startling, and Adam looked up, his own honey-coloured eyes meeting James' stormy ones.

"Don't laugh," James repeated, his jaw set. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm sorry for not being careful enough, and for getting myself stuck in this hospital and leaving you alone at your flat. But I want you to know that every time I sit behind the wheel, I think to myself, 'I'm going to finish this race, and then I'm going to go home to Adam'. I want you to know that every time I put my foot on the gas pedal my other foot is on the break, because I want to be able to stop just in case the track I'm competing on that day leads to the afterlife. I won't leave you, Adam. Not like this."

The vampire stared motionlessly at the blonde, evidently processing the emotional speech presented to him. After a moment's scrutiny, James blushed a little and dropped his gaze onto the sheets as he hesitantly reached for Adam's hand.

"Forgive me?" the racer whispered, and the single lonely tear fell onto the Adam's cheek.

"Did you know," he said softly, "That I can hear your heartbeat? That I can hear how fast it goes whenever you look at the track, or at your race car, or at other racers speeding towards the finish line? And do you know how badly I fear that one day, suddenly, that heart will just stop?"

"If you can hear my heartbeat then you'll know it beats even faster for you!" James cried quietly, clasping Adam's hand tightly in both of his own. "If you don't believe my words, then _listen_."

The man was not lying, and the knowledge equally terrifies and warms Adam to the very tips of his fingers and toes. Carefully, he eased himself onto the side of James' bed and grabs the blanket with his free hand.

"What're you doing?" James said blankly.

"Getting ready for bed, you idiot," Adam snorted. "Love confessions are exhausting, don't you think?"

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" James asked hopefully, and the vampire rolled his eyes.

"Go to sleep. I'm not the one with fractured rib bones and a sprained wrist."

James managed a chuckle, and Adam could feel the racer's entire body vibrating with it.

"Good night, then," the blonde whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the vampire's forehead.

Adam closed his eyes and allowed a small smile to grace his face. "Good night."

And while the sounds of the man's recklessness terrifies him, it also lets Adam know one very, very important thing:

James Hunt was _alive_.

That is all he'll ever need.

* * *

 

[Ric's Art](http://under-base.tumblr.com/post/59163416379/apparently-this-pairing-with-james-hunt-adam-is#notes)


End file.
